Synopses & Reviews
On an early spring night in 1991, Sophie and Crow, flushed with anticipation, slip away from a rowdy high school party and sneak off into the woods. Tonight, for the first time, they will make love. An hour later, Sophie lies unconscious, covered with blood, and Crow is crashing through the underbrush, hurling himself into the river to escape the police. . . .
What was meant to be an idyllic, intimate evening has turned into a nightmare. Despite Crows frantic claims of innocence, evidence at the scene suggests his guilt. And Sophie, by now awake in the hospital, refuses to speak, leaving the residents of the couples seemingly placid Tennessee town to draw their own wildly varying conclusions.
If Crow isnt to blame, then who assaulted Sophie, and what compelled Crow to flee? With each answer comes a new set of questions. Elizabeth Coxs vibrant and lyrical narrative revisits the events leading up to the fateful night, then shows how the tragedy reverberates throughout the community, among parents, friends, teachers, and neighbors-all connected to the young lovers, all with a stake in what happens next. As growing suspicions divide the town, a closer look reveals that everyone has something to hide.
A compelling and passionate page-turner, The Slow Moon waxes full with suspense, a haunting story of innocence lost, lives betrayed, and the courage required to face the truth.
From the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Elizabeth Cox is the author of
Night Talk, The Ragged Way People Fall Out of Love,
Familiar Ground, and the story collection
Bargains in the Real World. She is an instructor at the Bennington Graduate Writing Seminars and teaches at Wofford College in South Carolina, where she shares the John Cobb Chair of the Humanities with her husband, C. Michael Curtis. She lives in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
From the Hardcover edition.
Reading Group Guide
1. Why do you think Elizabeth Cox chose the lines from Alfred, Lord Tennysons poem “Ulysses” to open her story?
2. Born and raised in Tennessee, Elizabeth Cox fills The Slow Moon with rich details about life in a small Southern town. How important is the novels setting? Could the same story have unfolded in a big city? Did the attitudes and personalities of the residents of South Pittsburgh remind you of anyone you know?
3. As the story builds, the attack on Sophie Chabot is repeated through the eyes of more than one character, and the details of what really happened that night are gradually revealed. How did this affect your impression of the main characters who were directly involved in the crime?
4. How would you describe the romantic relationships between the teenagers in The Slow Moon, as compared to the courtships and intimacy that Cox portrays in their parents generation?
5. What dark family secrets are the Davenports and the Baileys hiding, and who else in town is concealing something important? Is it better to keep family secrets buried, or is it healthier for people to reveal the skeletons in their closets?
6. Bringing out the truth and facing up to it is a central theme in The Slow Moon. Which characters are the bravest at confronting the truth, and who does the best job of ignoring it?
7. Several of the parents and guardians portrayed in the novel take their responsibilities seriously, asking themselves-and one another-hard questions about the best way to raise and protect a child. Can you recall a good example of this? What particular challenges do Aurelia and Rita face as single parents?
8. How would you describe the relationships between Crow, Bobby, Antony, and their respective fathers? What do they have in common? And ultimately, how strongly are the sons affected by their fathers life choices?
9. Carl treats his sons, Johnny and Crow, very differently. Why does he do this, and what affect does it have on the two boys? Is Helen right when she accuses her husband of loving Johnny more than Crow?
10. Consider some of the key friendships in The Slow Moon: between Helen and Louise, Crow and Bobby, Sophie and Grace, and E.G. Hollis and Charlie Post. What makes these relationships so strong and believable?
11. When the police start questioning Sophies classmates about the night she was attacked, Antonys grandmother fears that he will be implicated in the crime simply because he is African American. Do you think that she is overreacting, or is this still a powerful concern in twenty-first-century America?
12. After those responsible for the attack on Sophie are jailed, they are visited by several members of the community. Do the perpetrators deserve this kindness, and if so, why? What motivates their visitors to stop by?
13. What gives Sophie the strength to heal?
14. What do you make of the graphic episode that takes place during the October Carnival, when Mackeys monkeys spin out of control? Does this scene shed new light on the human violence that appears earlier in the novel?
15. At the storys conclusion, what do you think will happen to Sophie and Crow? Has justice been done?